Nopony said a word, the events from earlier still lingering on their minds. They all slowly walked in a direction, not one that was chosen, they just walked. The fight from before left them not knowing which way they were going in, so they decided to just pick a random direction and head there.
Was it efficient? No. Did Twilight approve of this? No. But they didn't have any other choice. They could barely see and they were too far to notice any hoofprints. Only the ones right beneath their feet. The wind had also begun to pick up in pace again, blowing the travlers' hair in the wind. Unfortunately for them, this wind also blew around snow that both blinded them slightly and covered up previous tracks left on the snow.
As they walked, Rainbow was the most distant of the six. Her head hung low as an occasional sniffle was heard. Luckily for her, each time a sniff was heard, Twilight would comfort her slightly. Not verbally or anything, it'd be something small, like a pat on the back or a quick nuzzle. The two walked considerably close to each other while everyone else hung in the back of the group, watching for signs of activity.
Thoughts plagued their minds as they walked. How the heck did Rainbow Dash manage to beat up that shadow wolf? What was that black stuff coming off of her? How did she move so fast? Of course, while they had their suspicions, none of them thought much of it and defaulted the strange sights to 'their surroundings being dark'.
Soon, however, the snow from beneath their hooves started to decrease and the trees started to thin out. Filled with hope, everyone trekked with a slightly faster pace than before. And by some miracle, a pathway was made known. Now all they had to do was follow it. Finally, they had some sense of direction again, and this boosted the morale of the group, even having Rainbow starting to lift her head up high again as she walked instead of staring into the cold ground below.
Then, a wisp of a light was seen in the distance. What looked to be like some sort of fire, swaying side to side as it moved across the icy pathway. "Hey, I think that might be somepony!" Twilight said excitedly and called down to the moving light source. "Hey! Down here! Can you help us? We're a bit lost!"
Suddenly, the source of light had stopped moving. Whispers were heard coming from the location, but it was barely audible. Then, the light continued down on its path towards the new found group of ponies who were relieved to finally see some for of life that wasn't an animal of sorts.
"Thank Celestia, I need to rest my hooves after all of that walking," Rarity commented, fixing up her hair from the long trip through the forest.
"For once ah'm with ya on that, Rares," Applejack agreed. She relaxed her muscles and watched as the lights got closer and closer.
And as the light rounded the corner, it was revealed that it had in fact been a pony carrying a torch! Actually, it had been a group of ponies that were lit up by said torch. And the group of ponies were guards. They held shields, spears, swords, and armor along with a sick mask to go with it!
Quickly, the guards formed into a square and stood evenly in front of the tired travelers. Then the leader drew his weapon. "Under orders of King Sombra, you are ordered to come with us. Resist, and be met with lethal force," he said in a monotone voice as he lifted his spear, pointed straight at Twilight, since she was in the front.
Well that was quite unexpected. Twilight backed up and tried to talk with them. "I think you have us mistaken. We're just looking for the Crystal Empire. We've been wondering for quite a while and we're all getting really tired," she tried to reason. It was to no avail though as the spear was shoved right next to her throat.
"Do not resist," the guard spoke sternly. The guards behind him drew their weapons as well. "You will be coming with us."
"Heheh, alright, we're going, we're going..." Twilight smiled sheepishly and backed away again before turning to her friends and shouting, "RUN!" In a flash, they all sprinted away.
"Ugh, I'm bored!" Shadow groaned to herself. She was laying by herself in her bedroom, as per usual, tossing a ball up and towards the ceiling and watching as it falls back down into her hooves. "There's nothing to do around here! All these stupid rules from stupid Dad. I can't do anything with my life!" she whined. She was stuck in her room with nothing to do. She wasn't allowed to go outside, talk with the guards, or do anything for that matter. It was like her father was paranoid or something. Didn't want her escaping from her pen or something among those lines.
Then, she had a brilliant idea. Quite the genius one, if she did say so herself. It had been so obvious! Who was keeping her in her room after all? For all she cared, she could just leave! Just sneak past some guards, easy-peasy! How hard could it be?
She threw the ball into the air one last time and this time let it fall besides her onto the bed. She sat up and started to think. She would need a plan to get out of here, after all. It's not like she could just walk out and about, there were guards patrolling the halls. She needed somewhere to go...
Then an idea sparked in her mind. She could visit Midnight Bloom, her personal maid assigned to her by her Dad. She never did much other than deliver her food, so she spent most of her time in the garden. And better yet, no one ever goes to the garden. It's mostly just Midnight, tending to the flowers and plants.
So now she had a plan. Now she just had to execute it.
Quietly, Shadow poked her head out of her door and looked left and right, scanning for anyone coming close. Thankfully, it was empty. Quick to make sure she wasn't spotted, she dashed up towards the ceiling and hovered in place. No, this won't do. I'll get spotted instantly. She let out a puff of air. Let's see if I remember how to do this...
Thankfully, being the daughter of Sombra gained her some pretty cool powers. Focusing on herself, she closed her eyes and thought. A shadow... I am... a shadow... She could feel energy being pulled from within her, covering her entire body in a tingly feeling. Slowly, she opened her eyes again and looked down to her hooves. A grin grew across her face. They were transparent, radiating dark magic out into the atmosphere.
While she could easily be seen in a brightly lit room, being in the shade provided the opposite effect. Knowing this, she stayed in the shadows, carefully making her way through the halls and checking every corner before continuing onwards.
Well apparently, she didn't check enough.
After turning one of the corners, she was met face to face with a guard, who was thankfully looking away from her. She gasped in surprise and quickly retreated into a dark shadow in the corner of the room. The guard turned his head towards where Shadow was just standing.
"I think I heard something," the guard muttered and trotted over to investigate the sound. He walked over, weapon drawn and got into a battle ready position as he turned the corner, only to be met with... nothing. The only thing there was the stupid vase that was obviously off-centered on the damn table and it pissed him off! Well, now was the time for action.
He grunted in annoyance and grabbed the vase, rotating it a couple of degrees and setting it back down on the middle of the small, wooden drawer. With a smile of satisfaction, he went back to his usual patrol.
After a couple of seconds, Shadow let out a the air that she had been holding in her lungs, taking in deep breaths to gain back the lost oxygen. This time, she double checked to make sure no one was around the corner before continuing towards onwards. After not much time, she spotted a double door which had a sign next to it labeled 'Garden'.
She smiled and sighed in relief while transforming out of her shadow form, taking the next few steps towards the door. Then all of a sudden, she heard a shout from her left.
"Hey! What are you doing out of your room? You're not allowed out here, Shadow! Go back to your room!" It was a guard. And he did not seem happy.
Well, crap. Shadow groaned and turned to look at the guard approaching her. "Dad gave me permission to wander the halls," she attempted to lie. The guard just stared at her.
"Uh huh. Yeah, that's not working on me, kid. C'mon," he reached forwards to grab her, but she quickly stepped away.
"Nope! You never saw me here!" She quickly turned around and bolted backwards, hoof steps loudly echoing down the hall. But only one pair of hooves? That's not right.
She turned back around to look at the guard, who just stood there, staring blankly ahead and muttering in a monotone voice. "I never saw you here."
"What?"
He walked forwards straight past Shadow and into an adjacent room, not even bothering to bat an eye towards her. The doors creaked as it swung closed and left Shadow alone once more.
"Oooookkaaay?"
The six of them dashed through the forest, a trail of guards following them. Thankfully, they were quite slow, wearing all that heavy armor. In an attempt to lose them, Twilight turned around and lit her horn as she summoned a large magical barrier and pushed it outwards towards the onslaught of ponies, toppling them onto the ground and leaving them dazed.
This was taken as an opportunity to escape. "Quick, hide!" Twilight whispered. Everyone scrambled deeper into the woods before diving behind a bush or tree, with Rainbow taking to the air and testing her luck with the tree branches.
It was just in time, too, because their pursuers easily got back up on their hooves and went down the path that they just took. Just as they were about to pass by, the leader raised a hoof and stopped, examining his surroundings. He bent down onto the floor and brushed his hoof over a snow track. "The trail stops here. They must be hiding." He stood up and shouted into the dark forest. "Show yourself! We know you're out there!"
He looked around once more, not seeing anyone in his sight. With a grunt, he bent back down to re-examine the tracks. His eyes traced along the hoofsteps from before, following them up towards a bush. He locked eyes with it and drew his weapon. Slowly he approached, weapon raised high.
Twilight's horn started to glow, preparing to start a fight. Rainbow, however, acted quickly, lighting up her hoof and waving it towards the guard, entering his mind. "There's nopony there," her voice echoed through his mind.
The guard stopped, strapping his spear onto his back. "They're not here. They've escaped. I want you eight to search this side of the forest, the rest of you with me," he commanded. The others saluted and shouted in unison, "Sir, yes sir!" before forming two separate squads and continuing on their search.
After they left, everyone stepped out of their hiding spots. Twilight walked out of the bush and brushed herself off, followed by Fluttershy and Pinkie, who was bouncing out of the hiding spot instead of walking. Rainbow sighed in relief too, thanking Celestia that they weren't spotted. She glided down and landed near Twilight, shaking the leaves off of herself.
Rarity and Applejack were the last to leave their hiding spots, Rarity in particular having a hard time. "Dear Celestia! There's twigs and leaves stuck in my hair!" she frantically weaved her hooves through her hair in an attempt to get the sticks out. "Where's a brush when a lady needs one?"
"Quit your complainin' miss, we still got a ways to go," Applejack chuckled, helping her pluck out the twigs from her mane. "Now ah reckon we should go ta where they came from 'cause that's probably where this Crystal Empire is," she suggested.
"That's a good idea, Applejack," Twilight agreed as she finished brushing herself off. "Is everypony okay?" she asked, to which everyone nodded. "Good. Now if you're all ready, we can get going. We don't have time to lose."
They retraced their steps with haste, eventually making their way towards a large clearing where the trees opened up to reveal the back of a large castle.
"Alright, everypony, I'm guessing this is where King Sombra is. Stay close and watch out for guards," she whispered to her friends as they approached the back entrance, making sure no one was nearby before doing so.
Walking in, they were welcomed with a large hall, much like the one from Princess Celestia's throne room, which held paintings and artworks that lined the walls, marking the history of the Crystal Empire. Twilight's jaw dropped to the floor, gaping as she examined all the art pieces, all the artifacts, that were present.
"Oh wow, a bunch of paintings," Rainbow said sarcastically. Twilight stumbled on her words and looked at Dash.
"How can you say that? This is the most important discovery since 1968 when a stallion found civil war era gold coins in his backyard!" she squealed in excitement.
"Yeah, Twi, we get it. You like history," she snickered and was met with a glare from Twilight.
"Are you being serious right now? Not even Theodore Maiman's invention of the laser tops this!" she responded. "Just look at these historical art pieces! They show the order of history that happened here! Pictures of war, troubles, and leaders! Look!" she pointed to one of the pictures. "This is Sombra coming to rule! And this one!" she pointed to another picture. "This one is of his defeat from the princesses! And this one!" she pointed to, once again, another picture. "This one is about- wait a second..."
She studied the painted wall. It showed of Sombra with another pony, having a heart above their heads. And below them, a tiny pony. The art showing that it was a female. "Wait, Sombra had a DAUGHTER?!" she practically screamed. She calmed herself down, speaking at a quieter tone. "Sorry! I mean, Sombra had a daughter?! This is such an important historical moment! Wait, if Sombra had a daughter, then where is she, I mean-"
Twilight's voice was drowned out by Rainbow's thoughts. She began to slightly hyperventilate. Oh my gosh, I'm so screwed. They're going to find out everything! They're never going to be my friends again! They'll think I betrayed them! They'll hate me! They'll-
"What do you think, Rainbow, isn't this just wonderful?" Twilight was jumping up and down, much like Pinkie. Rainbow tried to calm herself down.
"Uh- yeah! Very exciting..." she mumbled. Twilight didn't seem to notice. She was too focused on running around the room in excitement of her historical discovery.
"Ah hate tah interrupt you, Twilight, all excited n' all, but we need to move. Sombra ain't gonna stop himself, ya know," Applejack interrupted.
"B-But!" Twilight tried to plead, met by Applejack glaring at her. "Fine. You're right..."
Twilight silently gave her goodbyes and proceeded onwards into the next room. As they opened the door, the room was revealed, opening up from the side, showing a large throne room fitted for that of a king. The walls had paintings much like the ones from the previous room, except this time framed in a gold seal. Torches were also lined on the walls, illuminating the room, giving it a warm color. And in the middle of the room hung a chandelier filled with glistening glass and torches that must've cost a fortune. Red carpet lined the floor, starting from the main entrance and making its way over to the main attraction, the throne. It was lined with gold jewels and gems colored red and blue. And on top of that throne sat Sombra himself.
Twilight's mood instantly turned south as she began to panic internally, quickly attracting the attention of the dictator that was signing papers, as per usual. He sat on top of his throne, glaring down at them with an annoyed look on his face until his annoyance turned into anger.
"It is you! You intruders have broken into my empire and have harmed my precious Hades, thinking you'd go unnoticed? Such fools! How did you get past my guards? I had sent them out to look for you? You know what? It doesn't matter. I'll have them properly trained and disciplined after this. Now explain yourself," Sombra's voice boomed.
Trying to find the right words to speak, Twilight fumbled, "I-, uh, W-We've come to stop you, Sombra! You've led this kingdom into despair! Kept it away for over a thousand years!" Twilight very skillfully announced, stomping her hoof in front of her to emphasize her point, still not managing to look serious at all.
"What are you, a child? Stop with the lies! This kingdom has only stood for 300 years! Only recently have I come to rule!" Sombra growled.
Twilight furrowed her eyebrows. Wait, that doesn't add up... "But that doesn't make any sense! Princess Celestia said she banished you into ice over a thousand years ago! No pony even knows of the Crystal Empire's existence anymore!"
This time it was Sombra's turn to be confused. "Impossible! Those foolish sisters never banished me! I was merely casted away, though those fools didn't expect me to take my kingdom with me!"
"That doesn't matter! What does matter is that you've been enslaving ponies through your rule and we're here to put an end to it!" she pointed a hoof at Sombra who just sat there, amused.
"You and what army? What can you possibly do that would defeat me?" he laughed.
Twilight smiled smugly and looked to her friends before taking out the elements of harmony and strapping them on. "This is your last chance, Sombra. Back down now or face the elements of harmony!" she threatened.
Sombra's eyes widened. Impossible! I thought only the two sisters could wield them! He looked around quickly for a solution, before smiling.
"Uh, Twilight, why is he smiling?" Applejack asked.
Twilight kept her poker face on, although she was also concerned. "I don't know, just keep your guard up," she whispered.
Suddenly, the ground below them rumbled and darkened before having black crystals shot out, grabbing the elements and trapping them in its grip while also encasing the wielders each in their own crystal cage. Sombra laughed at them. "You foolish ponies. Did you really think you could stop me with those petty little elements?"
Twilight tried to teleport out before being thrown back onto the floor, her magic proving ineffective. "My magic! It's not working!" She tried banging on the cage, but no progress was made.
Sombra continued to laugh as he floated down towards their cages. He grinned devilishly until his eye made contact with Rainbow Dash. She quickly looked away, as if trying to hide herself from the situation. "Wait a minute. You! I recognize you," he spoke as he flew down and landed in front of her.
Oh no... This cannot be happening! Rainbow panicked, trying to force her way out of the cage. Sombra stared at her before his eyes went wide and he backed up, growling.
"Oh. It's you," he snarled. "I only know two ponies with that rainbow hair of yours. Why did you come back here? To try and take over my kingdom with those good-for-nothing friends of yours?" Rainbow kept quiet.
Her friends turned over to look at her. "Rainbow Dash! What is he talking about?" Twilight asked.
Sombra laughed. "You didn't even tell them either? And Rainbow Dash?" He shrunk the crystal cage with his magic and dragged the mare over to him. "That's the name you came up with? This is all too good."
Applejack raged, "Just what in tarnation are you talkin' about? That right there is Rainbow Dash, our friend! Tell 'em, RD!"
Rainbow tried to say something, but nothing came out. Sombra pulled her cage closer to himself. "Yeah, Rainbow Dash," he spoke with a tone of disgust. "Why don't you tell them? Or will I have to?" he growled. She tried to back away from Sombra, but the cage was too small to do so.
"Fine. So be it," he spat out, getting saliva on her face. "So you don't want to talk? Guess I'll just tell them myself, Shadow Dash! They deserve the right to know, don't you think?" he spoke with increasing volume. Rainbow stayed quiet, knowing what was about to come. "Now I will ask again!" he shouted in her face. "Why do you come back to my kingdom, daughter?" His voice was deafening.
Her friends all gasped. No, it can't be... can it? Twilight thought to herself, closing her eyes and looking away. The pieces all clicking together in her mind.
"Hey, it's okay. You can be honest with me. Do you want to talk about it?" she rested a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder, giving her an empathetic look. Dash teared up slightly, but quickly wiped the tear away and shrugged her arm off.
"To make a long story short... We don't have good history. He's always been a bitch to me. Bringing me down, telling me that my dreams have no chance of coming true. Locking me away in a room whenever our opinions didn't match. He was the worst." Glints of tears came to her eyes. She looked at Twilight with fearful eyes. "A-and... I think I'm starting to become like him," her voice cracked, tears finally shedding, freely pouring down her cheeks.
"NOO!" Rainbow shouted. Her body was surrounded with a flow of dark matter as she skipped through the air like a bolt of lightning, kicking the monster mid air, sending it flying away, crashing into a nearby tree.
Thoughts plagued their minds as they walked. How the heck did Rainbow Dash manage to beat up that shadow wolf? What was that black stuff coming off of her? How did she move so fast? Of course, while they had their suspicions, none of them thought much of it and defaulted the strange sights to 'their surroundings being dark'.
"What do you think, Rainbow, isn't this just wonderful?" Twilight was jumping up and down, much like Pinkie.
"Uh- yeah! Very exciting..." she mumbled. Twilight didn't seem to notice.
It all made sense.
Twilight looked back tearfully into Dash's eyes. She didn't know how to feel. She felt confused, afraid, angry, but most of all, she felt betrayed.
"Rainbow. Is this true?" she asked.
Rainbow backed away. "I...I-," her voice trembled, tears swelling in her eyes.
"IS IT TRUE?!" Twilight shouted. Rainbow started to cry. "WELL?!" The crying mare nodded slowly as she crumpled into a ball in a corner of her cage. Twilight also began to cry. "I... I trusted you..."
Sombra was enjoying every bit of this. "Well now your friends know. What was it I said again? Friends only bring you down? Until they stab you in the back? Seems like you learned your lesson," he spat. He looked at the group of six broken friends. "Such a disappointment. You're not worth my time," he said as he used his magic to thrust all of them through the main entrance and down a large staircase behind it, breaking them free from their prisons in the process. Then a large black cloud of smoke was summoned besides Sombra and quickly evaporated, leaving guards standing where the smoke once was. "Kill them. Don't leave anyone alive." And with that, he walked away.